Gardener held for Cape woman's death

Cape Town - A gardener was expected to appear in the Athlone Magistrate's Court on Wednesday for allegedly strangling his elderly employer, Western Cape police said.

Warrant Officer November Filander said police were called to a home in General Street, Athlone, on Monday afternoon where they found the body of 72-year-old June Nefdt.

She had apparently got into an argument with her gardener, 62, over money that she owed him.

Filander said the man allegedly grabbed Nefdt and strangled her with a rope.

Comments

Lacrimose - 2012-06-13 21:52

And so we come back to the least talked about problem facing our country - severe mental health issues coupled with or related to poor impulse control. Ref story on N24 about cop who "lost control" because of his, ahem controlling behaviour. Mob justice, rape, eye-gouging, 5% HIV+ rate in high-schools, taxis over-turning, rocks in the road. It's all about poor impulse control. We live in a nation of perpetual adolescence - act first, worry later. Last year we were told 'vote first, we'll solve the problems later'. It's time we as people grew up and became responsible members of society. Only then can we demand the same of our govt.

melania.nel - 2012-06-13 22:32

Do some reading on illuminati and GM staple food... Scary \explanations\. Fits right into what we see happening...

alansmartSnr - 2012-06-13 23:54

jA.. Where are the days when our forefathers were quite happy with berries, or a bunch of bananas or even a coconut.. Life must have been much more placid then.

Lacrimose - 2012-06-13 23:58

@Christopher - I've lost 17 friends through death or migration, in the last 10 yrs due to "hired-help crime". Of the 17, 15 ended up in murder - after torture. In all cases, evil-doers were long time staff. In mitigation they were coerced - either by gangs or drugs - or a combi of both. In all 17 instances these were long-time employees whom the entire family (and at least 1 generation+) "trusted with their lives". The survivors of these horrors will never understand how things ended up as they did. The perpetrators have never explained. All perps are now out on the Presidential Remand.

Sagin - 2012-06-13 22:07

A daily occurence in south africa. why is there such a large portion of the black population that is so savage and murderous? why is there such a strong trait of criminality? is it in the jeans or is it a culture thing?
I am not being specifically racist here. I would really like to understand why have such a catastrophic crime rate and when you look at the demographics of prisoners its clear who is in the unbalanced majority when it comes to commiting crimes, especially violent and horrific crimes. Why does the anc government protect criminals. employ criminals and exhault criminals? Thoughts anyone?

Jimmy - 2012-06-13 23:06

@Sagin, I think you meant GENES there. Anyway slip of the tongue is no fault of the mind(I hope in your case) So its okay to not pay people for work done? What criminal does such a thing? Who knows? This 62 year old snapped after being treated like this for years upon years. Everybody must just do the right thing. That's my thoughts!

Lacrimose - 2012-06-13 23:12

@Sagin - it's a good question to ask and it has no easy answers. Poverty, depravation play an enormous role. Add drugs or other naughty substances to an already de-stabilised personality - *maybe* through no fault of their own. Who knows? The extreme cross-ness we, as N24 posters feel, is from our context - how we, think, feel, imagine we would behave in similar circs. Few of us have lived these people's lives or experienced what they have. We meet them at the end of their journeys. We see the end-result of the horror of some people's lives and super-impose it with our own (perhaps) kinder, gentler lives - and make a judgement on that. Impulse control, problem solving skills, are things we are taught, not born with. If there's no teaching, then people become their most primal selves and have no concept of what is acceptable behaviour.

Sagin - 2012-06-13 23:44

@ Jimmy Does a pay dispute warrant being killed? thats not the right thing to do. and she was a old lady.The perpertrator has revealed his mindset through his actions. I would tend to believe the old lady had a legitimate reason to not want to pay him. Should she have just paid him anyway, because she was white and old and dared not speak out at being taken for a ride?
@ lacrimose. thank You. a very considered and open minded answer. I have a problem consolodating what You say about poverty, lack of education and depravation with my personal experiences. I lived and travelled extensively in south america and came across people who are far poorer and have less access to education than the poorest of our poor. it was a real eye opener for me. These people are alot gentler and less prone to crime and criminal activities than our people are.

Koos - 2012-06-14 04:53

Sagin: criminals(anc) look after criminals.
We play the poverty song daily but when you go to places like Brazil or India poverty is worse but violent crime is less. Why is that?

TaniaSandraSteyn - 2012-06-14 05:57

Not only in SA, Sagin. The entire continent - and it has nothing to do with race. There are different ways of killing, and the average perpetrator on this continent would be considered a lunatic in every other society. I blame absentee fathers, who don't give a damn about their offspring. I blame our culture of "maids" who didn't give their children enough attention while they where giving attention to their adopted family. I blame the Government - for making grants the easiest way to obrain instant gratification through alcohol and drugs - bugger the children. People are not noble, well-mannered, and good parents by instinct -they have to be taught. Now try and teach a child with serious emotional scars, foetal alcohol syndrome, and AIDS, to look towards the future. If you are able to, you are a lot closer to God than I am right now. Thankfully, there are people that make a difference every day. It seems the Government is finally waking up to reality. Let's hope it continues.

Madock - 2012-06-14 12:40

i don't think you are racist too, not as much as i think, you are a retard , you should know that most of the population is black therefore, they are likely to top numbers in most stats, what you should be worried about is, labour laws being ignored in Cape Town, mostly by racists and Zimbabwean whites who are mad at Mugabe and see him in every black labourer.

Madock - 2012-06-14 12:54

Employers in the Western cape should stop labour exploitation, no one should be payed R80 a day in no general work, including walking and picking up labradors poo